


Homemade Destiny

by aborfable



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Awkward Crush, Bad Parenting, Canon Lesbian Character, Closeted Character, Confusion, Danganronpa AU, Developing Relationship, F/F, Falling In Love, Mermaids, Octopus, Self-Discovery, Sexuality Crisis, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:34:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23535352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aborfable/pseuds/aborfable
Summary: When Tenko turns 18 in 3 months, it’s all over for her. Any freedom she had left will be taken away from her, and she’ll have to inherit her families successful Ink Company. But when she meets Himiko, a mergirl who is also bound to her family’s business, she starts to question if there’s really nothing she can do.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by my amazing sis! Her Tenhimi mermaid aus are amazing!

Red Reef was a prison to Tenko. Everyday was the same monotonous torture. After waking up, she’d have time before work to watch out the window at the rest of the town going about their lives. Guppies playing tag with each other, mergirls messing around with their boyfriends, others doing what most in this town did everyday; working. 

Red Reef was one of the sea’s production centers. Resources were abundant and accessible, and there was plenty of space. Most who lived here were families who owned big businesses and corporations, and most of the kids here were their offspring. Even those who were frolicking playfully would one day be bound by a job here, unless they were lucky enough to not have a family business.

If she wanted to, Tenko could use this time to go hang out with the other merfolk her age, but she didn’t. All of her mermates had moved on into relationships with merboys. They were always off doing their own things, and she preferred not to associate with them. She could probably join them again if she could pick up a merboyfriend of her own, but the thought made her cringe.

Tenko had never gotten along well with merboys. When she was a guppie, they used to throw rocks at her and pull her hair. Her mermates would stick up for her, poking their tongues out at the merboys and calling them “jerks”. Ironically, those same mergirls ended up dating the merboys that they once defended Tenko from. 

“Grow up, Tenko! We were just guppies!” Her friends told her. It’s not that she couldn’t move on, it’s just that the way she was treated left a sour taste in her mouth. 

Being in a relationship with a merboy, that’s not what she wanted, though, it’s what her parents wanted, and she knew that soon it would be her reality. 

The Chabashiras were a special kind of seafolk; they were cecaelias. Being born an cecaelia meant that you’re sure to be successful in the ink industry. The Chabashira Ink Company was beyond successful. They had been in business for generations, and Tenko was an only child. 

“You’re gonna grow up, inherit the family business, get married, and have kids who can inherit the business once they come of age!” 

No matter what she argued, this is what her parents told her time and time again. 

“But that’s not what I wanna do with my life!” 

There was no point in protesting anymore. Her 18th birthday was soon. At this point, she’d accepted it. 

Every morning, she stared out her bedroom window, letting all of these thoughts swirl around in her head. 

“Tenko! Before you start harvesting, can you run to the market for me!” Her mother’s voice rang out.

Tenko sighed. “Yes ma’am!” She moved from the window to her mirror, grabbing a comb to smooth out her green locks. Once she was done, she grabbed her bag and swam to the kitchen to meet her mother. 

“I need you to get some shellfish! Here’s the money you need.” Her mother handed her 5 sand dollars. Tenko took the money and put it in her bag. “No distractions, get there, get what I need, and get back here.”

“Yes ma’am.” Tenko said absentmindedly, swimming out the door.

The marketplace was always busy. Tenko was sent on errands so much that she’d become a master of avoiding more interaction than necessary. Upon swimming up to the seafood goods stand, She was greeted with a friendly smile. “Morning Tenko! What can I get ya?” 

Tenko smiled. Ishida was one of the only mermen that she respected. He was always nice and respectful, as a good businessman should be. Moreover, she had known him since she was a guppie. He had taught her a lot of things about life, and had given her advice when she was troubled. His wife, Minako, had taught her about sewing and crafting. Tenko loved making accessories, so she was always thankful to the insightful woman. In a way, Ishida and Minako were more of parents to her than her actual parents. 

“5 shellfish please.” She pulled out the sand dollars and slid them across the counter. 

“Coming right up!” Ishida bent down, scrounging around. He plopped a bag of shellfish on the counter, taking the money. “Hey, Tenko, what’s troubling you?”

“Hm?” She looked up startled. “Nothing!”

“Come on now, I know that face.” He frowned, looking at her with mild concern. 

“Well...I’m gonna be 18 soon, and it’s my responsibility to inherit Chabashira Ink Company. But...w-would it be bad if I didn’t want that?”

Ishida’s eyes widened. “You don’t wanna inherit your family’s business, eh? So that’s what’s got you down.”

“It’s not what I want to do with my life! But still, I don’t have a choice!”

“Who said you don’t have a choice?”

Tenko stopped, considering the question. “Well...”

“Tell me Tenko, what is it that you want to do with your life if it’s not inheriting your family’s business?” 

“Ah...” She fell short of an answer. “I...I don’t know...my parents just always told me that inheriting the business was my destiny...”

“That’s where you need to start, then. You need to find out what it is that you’re meant to do.” He pointed at her. “Destiny is what you make it, Tenko. Find out your purpose, then work to make it a reality.” 

Tenko blinked, letting his words sink in. “Yea...yea! Oh thank you Ishida!” She hugged him. “Well, I need to get home, or mom will get mad at me.” She took the shellfish and waved goodbye to him, then started swimming back down the marketplace. 

When Tenko had entered the marketplace, she was so focused on getting the shellfish and getting out of there that she had failed to notice the bizarre booth that was set up. She’d never seen it before, so it must have been new. She stopped in front of it, reading the handmade sign that looked like it had been done by a guppie. “Himiko Yumeno’s amazing magic show...” she blinked. “Magic..? That’s interesting...”

“Hey you! No soliciting!” A tiny voice came from behind the booth. 

Tenko jumped. “Ah! I-I’m sorry, I was just looking, I’ll be on my way now.” She turned to go. 

“Wait!” A tiny head appeared from behind the booth, slowly rising to reveal a girl with short, red hair, wearing a pointy black hat. “Unless you want to pay to see a trick.” 

Tenko observed the girl. She was cute, Tenko though; very small and delicate. Out of curiousity, Tenko did want to see this “magic” she promised. “Sure, how much?” 

“Two sand dollars.” The girl demanded. 

Tenko reached into her bag, frowning when she felt nothing. “Aw, I’m sorry, I spent all my money on shellfish for my mom...”

“I will make an exception! If you give me that, you can watch.” The red head pointed at something on Tenko’s bag. 

“Eh, what?” She looked at her bag. “This?” It was a simple little accessory that Tenko had made. It was a star made from pearls, with lace attached to it. “Sure.” She detached it, handing it to the girl. 

The girl took it with a swift motion, smiling as she attached it to her hat. “Now, prepare yourself for the amazing magic of Himiko Yumeno!” She held out her hat so Tenko could see inside. “Is my hat empty?”

Tenko gazed inside. “Mmm...yep!”

Himiko nodded, placing the hat back on her head. “Now, when I’m done with my trick, fish will appear and swim out of my hat!” 

“Oh, fish? I wanna see this.” Tenko smiled. 

Himiko tapped her hat two times, then took it back off. 

At first nothing happened, and Tenko watched with anticipation. Suddenly, three goldfish swam out. “Woah! Those were real live fish! How did you do it?” 

“It’s magic.” The girl said confidently.

Tenko was amazed. “Wow! You can really use magic! Is it a family talent?” 

Himiko sighed. “Nyeh...my family is in the coral industry...they tell me I waste my time on “silly magic”. 

“What?! You’re magic isn’t silly! You could make a living off of such a cool ability!”

Himiko frowned. “I have to work at my families company...I’ll inherit it eventually. Besided, people aren’t very interested in my show...”

“You too!? Your family owns a business that’s gonna fall to you soon? My family does too! It’s so annoying, I want to do what I want to do!” She declared.

“Finally someone who gets it! I wanna pursue a career as a mage!” Himiko’s small face lit up. 

“You should go for it! I’ll cheer for you!” Tenko beamed. “Ah, I need to get home or my mom will yell at me. Himiko, was it? I’ll be back soon!” She waved to the girl, and swam home, more excited than she’d ever been in her 17 years on the ocean floor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the support! If you like it, share it! If you have any comments about the story you can leave them in the comments, or message me on my twitter @miowoda. Enjoy!

For years, Tenko had spent her mornings staring out the window. Now she had something to do every morning-go see Himiko. Getting out of bed was no longer a struggle. Tenko never felt like she was wasting time every morning anymore; in fact, her motivation had been higher than ever. Every night after work, she shut herself in her room and crafted. She had so many new ideas for accessories, and so much drive to make them. The previous night, she had made a large ring of seashells

. Tenko hurriedly brushed her hair, grabbing the ring and putting it in her bag. She swam off towards the door, but was stopped by her mother, who was in the kitchen.

"What's with you going out every morning?" Her mother turned from what she was doing.

"Oh nothing, I've just been feeling kinda happy." Tenko smiled to herself.

"Well, I like your attitude. It's been a long time since I've seen you smile like that." Tenko blinked, nodding. "Alright, I'll be back in time for work." She waved, swimming out the door.

 _"If you want me to smile, why can't you ever listen to me?"_ She thought to herself, frowning. _"Why do you force everything onto me and expect me to be happy?"_ All of these thoughts swirling around in her head made her lose her pep. Tenko hadn't been able to stop thinking about what Ishida had told her. 

_"Destiny is what you make it..."_

His words rang in her ears. Was there really something she could do? If she tried to imagine herself years from now, she couldn't see anything else besides her running the Chabashira Ink Company, married to a merman that she didn't love and raising guppies to suffer the same fate as her. The thought of becoming her mother made her feel sick. Would that really happen to her? Would she learn to deal with it? Had the same thing happened to her own mother? These troubling thoughts caused her to not look where she was going, accidentally bumping into a passing merman.

"Ow, watch it!" He grumbled, continuing on his way.

Tenko huffed, rubbing her shoulder. "Why are mermen like that?" She whispered under her breath. Though, the hit seemed to bring her back to her senses. Now wasn't the time to worry about that, she had to see Himiko first.

  
Approaching the booth always made Tenko's heart race, and she never knew why. "Himiko! It's Tenko!"

Himiko popped up from behind the booth. "I've been expecting you." 

Tenko laughed, Himiko said that every morning. "Hey, look what I made last night!" She pulled out the large ring. 

Himiko's eyes lit up. "Oooo...what is it?"

Tenko placed it over her hat, and it settled right above the rim. "It's kinda like a crown to wear on your hat!" She smiled.

Himiko blindly felt the ring, a huge grin spreading across her face. "This makes me feel powerful, like a queen." 

Tenko beamed. Himiko liked it! Though, she didn't know why she had any doubts, because Himiko loved all of Tenko's crafts that she brought. 

"Nyeh, Tenko, would you wanna go get sea shakes with me?" Himiko asked. "I've got some money from a few merpeople who stopped to see a show."

"Yea, I'd love that!" Tenko blushed, nodding. 

There was a place on the far end of town that served delicious shakes. Tenko didn't go there often, her family wasn't the fun type. Though, from the looks of it, Himiko's wasn't either. 

"Nyeh...my parents say that I can choose who I want to be with...but when I inherit the company I'll have to give up my magic." Himiko took a sip of her shake.

"At least they give you a choice...I don't want to marry a merman. They'll tell me 'he's the right one for you.' But there's no merman out there that could make me happy." Tenko had already finished her shake; she had skipped breakfast.

"Hm? So you're not interested in love?" Himiko raised an eyebrow.

"H-huh? N-no that's not it! That's not it at all!" Tenko flushed, looking at the table.

"Hmm...interesting." Himiko was blowing bubbles through the straw in her shake. "I wonder where we'll end up."

"Yea...I wonder..."Tenko frowned, resting her head on her hand. 

They chatted for a while longer before Tenko checked her watch, realizing it was time to get back for work. "Well, I gotta go." She got up from the table.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, Tenko." Himiko got up as well, giving her a hug. 

"Ah-" Tenko's face turned red. "Yea...see ya." She patted Himiko's back, then turned to swim back home, waving goodbye.


End file.
